Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Experts have estimated the financial losses from identity theft to be upwards of $50 billion. Identity thieves typically target a victim's credit, debit, checking, and saving accounts. Identity fraud, however, has grown to include theft of cell and landline phone service; cable and satellite television service; power, water, gas and electric service; Internet payment service; medical insurance; home mortgages and rental housing; automobile, boat and other forms of financing and loans; and, government benefits. Identity thieves will also use stolen identities to obtain employment and to deceive police when arrested.
Shoulder surfing is one of the ways in which thieves obtain a victim's personal information. Despite its innocuous sounding label, shoulder surfing is of serious concern to anyone who values their privacy. Shoulder surfing refers to a technique where a person glances over the shoulder of another to obtain personal information. Shoulder surfing has become a much greater threat due to the prevalence of smartphones and tablet computers. That person behind you on the bus may be looking over your shoulder to glean private information. This can include, for example, the credit card information you entered while making a purchase using your smartphone or your bank account password when you decided to check your balance. While shoulder surfing is most common in busy and crowded areas where the perpetrator is not as likely to be caught, shoulder surfing can also be done with the aid of binoculars or cameras from a more remote location.
To be sure, not all shoulder surfers have a malicious intent. They may simply be curious or nosey. Still, it can be very uncomfortable to have a stranger stare over your shoulder at your mobile device screen. Thus, there is a need to provide systems and techniques to help keep the information being shown on the device screen private.